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Keaton reflects upon early ministry of King
Bishop Jonathan Keaton slowly sang "we shall overcome," as he begin to speak about the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Keaton, bishop of the Ohio East Area based in Canton, used Matthew 20: 26-28 as his text, "the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve."
Keaton said King had three parts to his ministry - a season of beginning, boycott and transition. On Friday, Keaton talked about King's first local church experience as pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala., populated with Black middle-class members.
When King came to Dexter, the church was suffering programmatic doldrums. Keaton said King set out to help the church dream new dreams with a social message as well as a spiritual one.
"Martin preached prophetically." Within a year, Keaton said, King planned a new way of doing social action as a part of its struggle for what King called "Negro rights." He said King built a culture within the congregation for artists and students. He also wrote a plan to increase stewardship three fold.
King joined the local chapter of the NAACP to address wrongs of a legal system. His focus was his local church but reflected its desire to be open to all people.
King's life soon changed as a seamstress named Rosa Parks participated in a bus protest. "That event caused Martin to look beyond his local church," said Keaton. "His concept of service to the local church, Negro community, met the approval of the congregation. He talked the talked and walked the walked."
Rosa Parks' arrest was the turning point in King's life. Three days later, Martin became the elected leader of the newly formed Southern Improvement Association. His wife Coretta directed him to take the lead.
During his first 15 months at Dexter, King was a contented pastor. That all changed as King confronted injustices, arrests, trials, death threats, the KKK and a bomb going off at the parsonage. He asked, "What am I going to do?"
"We need to make room for God first and our things become second," said Keaton.
King's father came from Atlanta to take his son home. But Martin Jr. decided to return to Montgomery. Martin Jr. said, I must go back to Montgomery. I cannot hide here while my people are in Montgomery. I have reached the point of no return. Keaton said Martin claimed his call to service, committed himself to the cause and was willing to suffer.
Keaton asked, "Would you be willing to sacrifice like this to make Indiana a better place to live? Would you return knowing you are a target for injury?"
During a season of transition, Martin soon had three jobs: pastor, leader of the Southern Improvement Association and founding head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
"How much sacrifice are you willing to give?" asked Keaton. In 1963 King gave more than 200 speeches, traveled thousands of miles and begin work on his first book Strive for Freedom.
"Martin Luther King was born to serve others. Serving others was never limited to just the local church. If you are going to serve God you can't do it lightly," said Keaton.
"God calls us to serve others. What does God want you to do? What will it take North Indiana to serve others?... This may be the day that we shall overcome someday. O deep in my heart I do believe we shall overcome some day."
Plenary Session Two - Day Two
Visitors, reports, debates and celebrations
Aids to remember what we are about here at annual conference
- Incense to remind us of God's spirit with us
- Sounding of the shofar as an instrument of the Lord's proclamation
- Voting cards with Scripture verses
- Prayer at the beginning and ending of each session
- Praise music
Number of lay and clergy members registered - 1,143 and counting
Religion and Race reminded us of our acts of reconciliation made at the past year's annual conference.
Surprise visitor
Raymond White, the brother of Bishop White, greeted the conference. "I grew up in Woodie's light... We grew up in Harlem, New York, an African-America area. Woodie could defend for himself. We were probably poor but we didn't know what poor was..." Raymond said there were three areas of influence growing up in Harlem: strong family ties, the William Institutional CME Church open seven days a week, and education. "Woodie has been a great brother to me. He is also my best friend."
Bishop White said, "he has been with me every step of the way." Both of us sleep in the same bed. He is an IBM executive and engineer by training. He is a member of the General Council on Finance and Administration and his own Baltimore Washington Conference CFA.
Bishop's Initiative on Children and Poverty
The "Wash and Dry" project is still being conducted. Money donations also area appreciated. "How are the children" is a question that began the meetings of the Children and Poverty Task Force, according to Teresa Witkoske, chair of the bishop's task force. Bashor Home and the Indiana United Methodist Children's Home has received $200 in honor of retiring Dr. Jim Jones, who implemented the work of the task force.
Retirees honored
The 22 clergy retiring this year represent 631 years of service collectively. They were honored during the Friday morning session. Each of the retirees present greeted the members of the conference.
Bishop White said, "God did get it right. God decide the world would be one of diversity. God said it would be boring. Therefore God made the world diverse. Because of diversity more people heard the good news of Christ." White gave thanks to God for the gifts, skills and abilities in the diverse talents of the retiring clergy. He told the new retirees, "you have been a gift to this conference."
Higher Education ministries experiencing phenomenal growth
The Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministries said Ball State, Purdue, our three UM-related schools and other ministries in Fort Wayne have experienced considerable growth this year. It was reported that Ball State ministry has gone from two students last fall to more than 130 students by May. Similar growth is taking place at all institutions of higher education in North Indiana. BHECM asked for a $247,000 budget for 2005 to retain it close to the 2004 funding level. The conference decided not to increase the BHECM budget.
CFA said there was knowledge of the process that all boards, committees and agencies used to determine funding and discouraged any increase in the budget.
United Methodist Women emphasize School of Missions
A video report emphasized the role of UMW in public education, ministries to Hispanics, a U.S. response to Cuba - all topics of the current School of Christian Missions. Janis Bohnstedt and Ellen Rhoades presented two $2000 Special Mission Recognition pins to Bishop White and Mrs. White representing over $4700 given by the local United Methodist Women to missions in their honor.
United Methodist Men promotes spirituality
UMM promoted their spiritual enrichment groups and programs. UMM help sponsor Scouting programs in the church, are in the process of printing copies of devotional books to our armed forces, work with St. Andrew feeding projects, plus sponsor T-Quest small groups, prayer ministries, and the upcoming men's event at Purdue in 2005.
Two new district superintendents take appointments
The Rev. Frank Beard will be the new Kokomo District Superintendent replacing the retiring the Rev. David Schramm. The Rev. Lamar Imes will be the new Fort Wayne District Superintendent replacing the retiring the Rev. Larry Ray.
The Cabinet reported the discontinuance of Lebanon UMC, Macy UMC, Southern Well Community UMC ministry, and Bealls Chapel UMC, and the merger of Hyde Park and Centenary in Hammond, Modoc and Huntsville, Gary Grace and Gary Delaney.
June 16 new appointments take effect. All moves need to be completed by July 1.
General Conference delegates report
The 12 General Conference delegates of North Indiana led by the Rev. Frank Beard presented a video report and shared a couple of personal stories of General Conference. General Conference events and decisions are outlined in the current issue of Hoosier United Methodists Together.
Wolf given 'Sagamore of the Wabash' by Governor
On behalf of Indiana Gov. Joseph E. Kernan, the Rev. Dick Hamilton, retired minister of the South Indiana Conference presented the Rev. John Wolf Sr., a retired minister of the North Indiana Conference of Valparaiso, the Sagamore of the Wabash proclamation, in the words of the governor, "to express the appreciation of all Hoosiers for his commitment to making Indiana a better place to live and raise a family."
The proclamation was given during the Friday afternoon plenary session of the North Indiana Conference.
Continuing Kernan said, "You have distinguished yourself by your humanity in living, your loyalty in friendship, your wisdom in council and your inspiration in leadership."
After 10 years, Wolf is retiring as founder and state coordinator of the Indiana Coalition Against Legalized Gambling. He also has been an active participant in the Natioanl Coalition Against Legalized Gambling and the General Board of Church and Society. All this after retiring at age 75 from a lifetime in ministry in The United Methodist Church in North Indiana.
In his final report to the conference, Wolf said, "There is little doubt in my mind that the announced intention of gambling advocates to turn northwest Indiana-Chicago area into 'The Las Vegas of the Midwest' will come. The price is great." According to Indiana Department on Research some 64,542 Hoosiers have a pathological gambling problem. Which is 1.6 percent of your county's adult population. Wolf said you can tell how many are your neighbors. Last year $27 million was waged in Indiana. That's $190 per person.
Wolf said, "When Bishop White said to us a few years ago, 'Gambling is wrong,' we didn't hear.. I love Indiana and hope you do, too, enough to save it."
Wolf said shortly after the new bishop is assigned to Indiana, Hamilton will meet with the new bishop to continue a transition to the next generation.
Welcome Class of 2004 retirees!
The North Indiana Conference celebrated the ministry of 12 elders and nine local pastors who are retiring after this conference. Three of the retirees share with HUM their plans for the future.
Connie Payne, who retired on Jan. 1 from South Whitley UMC, served 20" years in the conference. She is looking forward to participating in work camps with the NOMADS and do some other traveling. "We'll travel some. We have a travel trailer. We're also going to spend time with our grandkids." Five of her seven grandkids live within one mile of the family farm, and most of them play baseball at a variety of levels. "We spent a lot of time at the ball diamonds."
With retirement, there are some things Payne is going to miss. "The people are at the top of the list," said Payne, also adding Sunday school classes, praise teams and others.
Lloyd Miller retires after 14 years of service to the conference. Miller, who is finishing duties at Woodburn UMC in the Fort Wayne District, is moving with his wife, Margie, back to Valparaiso. Miller, who ran a dental laboratory business before going into the ministry, looks forward to going "home." He said, "we'll continue to be involved in the church at Valparaiso."
During his retirement, he hopes to expand upon his 55-year hobby of model railroading. "I'm going to build a model railroad. This will give me a chance to put it all together," said Miller.
In addition, he and his wife will spend more time visiting families and visiting former churches they served, as well as take care of Margie's mother. "We still want to keep in touch with the conference. We'll find ways to keep in ministry."
Jack Snell, pastor at Raub UMC, is retiring after 20 years total in the ministry during two tours of duty. But actually, you'll find him still in the pulpit at Raub. Due to the Discipline, he is retiring, but will continue to serve as a supply pastor.
"I'm having too much fun to slow down," said Snell during the retirees' luncheon. "I've just been thankful for all my years of being a United Methodist." -MO
North Indiana youth bring voice of a new generation
"We bring a voice of a different generation that needs to be presented," said Sarah Lewis, outgoing president of the North Indiana Conference Council on Youth Ministries (CCYM).
Lewis, of Bluffton, noted annual conference has expressed the diversity of The United Methodist Church throughout this session. Bishop White spoke to the importance of the diversity within the cabinet, and that same diversity can be seen across the auditorium.
While retirees have been recognized for their 600-plus years of service, the other side of the age spectrum also has a large presence with the CCYM.
Junior high and high school conference members from each district fully participated in voting for the future of the church. Beyond the annual conference session, the Youth Council sends students to a summer institute in Baltimore, assists the funding of summer camps and hosts a fall youth rally - the largest event held within the conference attracting more than 2,000 youth. The Youth Council supports and gives voice to these new leaders.
The Rev. C. Jack Scott, conference youth director and pastor of Columbia City UMC, said, "We have youth who really love the church. It's been a privilege to me to be involved."
Scott will be leaving his position, but his impact through the council during his 18 years of service will follow far into the future of United Methodists. Last year's youth delegation to annual conference alone contained nine youth feeling strong calls to ministry. Scott's leadership has inspired these youth to not only stand up as youth, but also to stay standing in their commitment to Christ and The United Methodist Church.
Scott says his favorite part of CCYM is always the youth report. He said, "I love to watch their faith displayed."
On Saturday, the youth plan to share how the group's various outreach areas affect their individual faith. Lewis said, "We help reach kids for Christ," and those changed lives will be and presently are leading the church with enthusiasm. - MH
This story was written by the Indiana Area Communications Intern Molly Hunteman, who attends Butler University and has served in the South Indiana Youth Council.
'The Joy of This Calling'
As he began preaching, Bishop White began to sing, "I've got the joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in heart to stay. I've got the peace that passes understanding down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart to stay."
Soon many of the 2,000 worshipers at Friday night's commissioning and ordination service began to sing with him.
"What does one say when you come to the last ordination service that you will preach as an active bishop," White said, "this is my 20th ordination service. I want those who are entering this ministry to know that there is joy in the calling, there is joy in the faith, there is joy in knowing Him."
He said he gets annoyed at all the studies that come out about how unhappy pastors are. "That's not what I have discovered. You may be disgruntled in the faith, but I will not. There is such joy," he said.
White shared a very personal moment in his life when his mother was beaten and raped. "What kind of mind would beat and rape a woman in her seventies?" He said there was utter anger as Kim and he made their way to New York City where his mom lived.
He said, "I went to the apartment and heard talking and laughter. Other siblings and friends had already arrived. Interestingly, my mom was in the kitchen. I smelled fried chicken. I could her here singing as I walked into the kitchen with all these mixed emotions anger and hatred. I also felt relief to see her with a sense of thanksgiving that she was alive. We hugged each other and she said, 'Woodie remember that God is good all the time. All the time God is good.'"
White then told his listeners, "When someone you trust breaks your heart, God is good. When in your weakness and insensitivity you break someone's heart, God is good. When you get rejected, when you aren't as smart as the next guy or girl, when someone else gets the church you want, God is good. Only the person who knows the God of faith will know that God is good."
He said, "I went to a very liberal seminary and I loved it. There were certain things in the journey that I wanted to discard. There were certain songs that they were not quite theologically correct."
White began to sing: "I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses and the voice I hear calling on my ear the Son of God discloses."
He then said, "I had to remember how it was to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. One so real that you sing and he walks with me and talks with me and tells me I am his own. And the joy we share as we tarry there..."
Speaking to those to be ordained and commissioned, he said, "After 43 years of appointment, I want you to know that the dominant reality against failure is joy. What an amazing thing when you meet this Savior becomes so real that in your moments of despondency, disappointment and doubt - joy breaks in. There is joy in this calling. The good news is that the bad news is wrong.
"Tonight these men and women will give there lives to God. My prayer is that they will have the joy of which I speak," White proclaimed. -DRG